Autodesk comes to Second Life

This is a (rich) builder’s dream come true: Autodesk has come to Second Life! The 3D design software company has an island for real-life attendees of Autodesk University.
I kind of tried Autocad as a student many years ago and managed to conjure up some feeble-looking shape. Ironically, I’ve progressed much further in Second Life – which isn’t saying much, considering all I’ve built is furniture and Mr Blue here has been building guitars by the gallon.
It is a progressive move by Autodesk. However, what I did not like was that Autodesk Island is not open to the general public, just like IBM. It was impossible to locate using the search function in Second Life, and I couldn’t find the ‘Autodesk University’ group either, as described in their blog post.
I guess they want to let only registered Autodesk users in first, and maybe in time, when they’re comfortable enough they’ll open it up to the rest of us. Then Second Life won’t be just an instructional medium but also a marketing tool. Think about it – this would let us learn about what the software can build in Second Life. We can’t do any harm in there… I promise! Everything would be PRIM and proper, though I suspect there may be an overload. Heh heh.
Note: I am not really sure whether you can export your models into Second Life. That would be so cool. However, architectural firms could use Second Life to let clients preview what their buildings may look like. Heck, you can even chat to your client in another country when you’re in Second Life. Just imagine…

Client: (walks up the stairs) The staircase is a bit too narrow. My Avatar’s the same height as me.
Architect: OK, noted. (places an object on the stairs to remind him that it needs to be amended)
Client: And the bathroom … I don’t like the colour. And the tiles.
Architect: OK, how about this or this instead? (swaps textures) Your interior designer told me he has these materials in RL. We scanned them in so it should look pretty much the same.
Client: Yes, that’s better. Moving on to the bedroom…

Other Autodesk sites and blogs by architects: Virtual Suburbia blog, ArchSL which has a machinima podcast about the topic (now how abstract is that?!).
Technorati Tags: Second Life, Autodesk, learning environments